Outdoor thermal comfort: Analyzing the impact of urban configurations on the thermal performance of street canyons in the humid subtropical climate of Sydney

The quality of outdoor space is becoming increasingly important with the growing rate of urbanization.Visual,acoustic,and thermal balance degradation are all negative impacts associated with outdoor comfort in dense urban fabrics.Urban morphology thus needs assessment and optimization to ensure favorable outdoor thermal comfort(OTC).This study aims to evaluate the thermal performance of streets in residential zones of Liverpool,NSW,Australia,and tries to improve their comfort index(Physiological Equivalent Temperature)to reveal optimum urban configurations.This evaluation is done by investigating the following urban design factors affecting OTC using computational simulation techniques:street orientation,aspect ratio,building typology,and surface coverage.Our findings reveal that street canyon orientation is the most influential factor(46.42%),followed by aspect ratio(30.59%).Among the influential meteorological parameters(air temperature,wind speed,humidity and solar radiation),wind velocity had the most significant impact on the thermal comfort of the outdoor spaces in this coastal region,which typically experiences intense airflow.The results of our analysis can be utilized by multiple stakeholders,allowing them to understand and extract the most vital design factors which contextually influence the thermal comfort of outdoor spaces.Outdoor thermal comfort has a direct effect on the health and wellbeing of occupants of outdoor spaces.

Urban microclimate and energy consumption:A multi-objective parametric urban design approach for dense subtropical cities

Climate change within the urban contexts is a crisis that cities are confronting globally.This issue poses numerous negative consequences such as thermal discomfort and increased energy usage within the building sector.This is especially the case in Western Sydney,Australia,where the average maximum temperature has risen by 7—8℃ within the past 30 years.This increase in temperature is highly concerning,since this region is witnessing rapid urban and infrastructural development and is proposed as the third-largest economy of Australia.Temperature changes in this region will also result in considerably increasing the electricity used for cooling purposes.This paper presents a parametric approach driven multi-objective optimization methodology to discover optimum design solution based on the urban microclimate and cooling energy demand of multi-functional buildings within this urban context.Mitigation measures including a range of design factors at both building(typology and window to wall ratio)and urban scales(aspect ratio and urban grid rotation)are further suggested for developing context sensitive optimum urban layouts.The resultant solutions indicate an improvement in urban thermal comfort,cooling and heating energy use by up to 25.85%,72.76%,and 93.67%,respectively.

Integrating algae building technology in the built environment:A cost and benefit perspective

Energy consumption rates have been rising globally at an escalating pace since the last three decades.The exploration of new renewable and clean sources of energy globally is thus gaining prime importance.In Australia,coal is still the primary source of energy,which,during the process of energy production,generates greenhouse gases,subsequently resulting in environmental degradation.Within this context,the paper compares the economic and environmental benefits of utilizing two renewable energy production sources:algae building technology(ABT)and solar PV panels.A case study site for retrofitting a specified area on the front facade of a multi-storied building at the University of Technology Sydney,City Campus,Australia was thus chosen for the study.A cost and benefit analysis model using the following performance indicators;return on investment,payback period as well as net present value of the two systems,was thus initiated.Annual revenue generation of both systems which included tangible and intangible benefits of both systems were simultaneously calculated.The investment and operation and maintenance costs of both systems were calculated based on market research as well as quantitative data adapted from our literature review.Our conclusions show that closed tubular photobioreactor systems have more benefit than solar panel system from an environmental impact perspective considering Australia’s current struggle with water scarcity,drought,air pollution and carbon emission reduction goals.

Interactive morphologies： An investigation into integrated nodal networks and embedded computation processes for developing real：time responsive spatial systems

The design-research illustrated in this research article focus on the emerging field of interactive architecture focusing on developing real-time information exchanging architectural bodies. These interactive bodies demonstrate a fusion between the material, the electronic and the digital domains. This fusion is explicitly attained through a synergistic merger between the fields of ambient sensing, control systems, ubiquitous computing, architectural design, pneumatic systems and computation. The resultant spatial bodies are thus visualised as complex adaptive systems, continually engaged in activities of data-exchange resulting in physical and ambient adaptations of their constituting components in response to contextual variations. Interdependent nodal networks, where every node/junction of a spatial prototype becomes a potential information hub by means of its ability to collect, process and communicate contextual data apart from working as an actuated detail owing to its ability to kinetically re-position itself in three-dimensional space is thus a critical outcome of this inter-disciplinary way of working. A strategy apt for binding material logistics with the digital to materialize dynamic spatial behaviours owing to real time data exchange between the prototypes and their context is thus embarked upon via three research and design projects, namely： Electronic Media Augmented Spatial Skins, The InteractiveWall and the Muscle Re-configured.

From smart to empathic cities

This paper acknowledges the contemporary neoliberal mode of operation of Smart Cities.The pitfalls of Smart Cities concerning its propensity towards techno-centric and efficiency-focused governance are identified,with diminutive emphasis on social equity and human-centric urban growth.Thus,the paper elaborates upon an alternative mode of person-environment-interaction based approach towards placemaking:Empathic Cities.This approach implies embracing a shift from efficiency to sufficiency and wellbeing embedded regenerative perspective for conceiving the built environment.First,the variable dimensions of urban growth and governance,which gave rise to the smart city,are contextualized.The embedded neoliberal operational agenda of smart cities are established.On this basis,the underpinnings of an empathic city are established by acknowledging the shift from technocentric to human-centric and from product-based to context-based smart city and wellbeing perspectives.Strategies toward urban development are proposed,such as embracing a regenerative perspective wherein the city and its constituents need to be understood as interdependent systemic elements while embracing a human-centric and ethical approach.Additionally,a transition from efficiency to sufficiency-oriented practices and a shift towards inclusive modes of participatory governance are proposed as fundamental principles for an empathic future of the built environment.

Development of an urban health and wellbeing index for work precincts:A comparative study in Sydney,Australia

Work precincts are recognized for their significant role as generators of employment and associated commerce within urban areas.This study describes a method for analyzing the physical characteristics of urban work precincts in promoting the health and wellbeing of their occupants.The following physical parameters are analyzed:public transport accessibility,green and blue spaces,food environments,fitness facilities,supermarkets,and grocery stores.The parameters are assessed using quantitative spatial analysis based on street network data,as well as point of interest data acquired from OpenStreetMap(OSM).The streets and their intersections are stored in the OSM database as links and nodes,respectively.The evaluation of the performance metrics involves measuring the street network distance from each node to the closest node of interest for each parameter.The metrics are then combined,forming an urban health and wellbeing index(UHWI),which can be used to compare the performance of different precincts.The method was tested by investigating four work precincts in Sydney,Australia,all hosting a large office building belonging to the same business institution.Our results identified two of the four precincts with a high UHWI and resulted in the Identification of one underperforming precinct.